From Jai to Gabbar; Big B setting new benchmarks at 64

New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) For many Bollywood actors, 64 may be an age to hang up their boots and lead a secluded existence far from the glare of the arc lights.

However, for Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 64 today, it seems life in films has just begun.

For, at a time when many of his contemporaries like Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha or Shashi Kapoor have either gone into semi-retirement or confined themselves to playing the stereotyped grandfathers in Hindi films, Big B, as Amitabh is known to legions of his fans, only gets better with age.

Having dazzled many cinegoers (while shocking many others) with his 'flamboyant' portrayal of 'sexy Sam' in Karan Johar's 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', as a 60 year-old who believes in living life to the fullest, Amitabh is set to appear in an array of characters in his forthcoming ventures, portrayals which reflect his amazing versatility as an actor.

At 64, Big B is all set to make what could easily be seen as one of the biggest makeovers by an actor in the history of Indian cinema- the 'charming' and 'witty' Jai of Ramesh Sippy's 'Sholay' will now play the menacing Gabbar Singh in Ramgopal Verma's remake of the film, shooting for which began a few days ago. The 'Gabbar' look of Amitabh was unveiled by Verma at a press meet in Mumbai a few days ago.

Further, the coming months will see the actor play an old man experiencing a feeling of sexual attraction for an 18-year-old girl, played by newcomer Jiah Khan, in Verma's 'Nisshabd'.

Also, he will be seen in Ravi Chopra's 'Babul' as a 60-year-old who gets his widowed daughter-in-law remarried amid opposition from society.

According to analysts the fact that at the age of 64, Amitabh continues to be offered central characters like those in Ravi Chopra's 'Baghban', Govind Nihalani's 'Dev', Mahesh Manjrekar's 'Viruddh', Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Black', Verma's 'Nisshabd', Ravi Chopra's 'Babul' and now, 'Sholay' is undoubtedly a reflection of the actor's unfading charisma as also his tremendous growth as an actor over the years.

That roles are still being written keeping him in mind puts Amitabh in the same league with Hollywood greats like Anthony Hopkins, Sean Connery and Richard Gere.

For example, for Ramgopal Verma who has been getting flak from several quarters for his remake of the blockbuster 'Sholay,' including Lata Mangeshkar and Saira Banu, casting Amitabh as Gabbar seemed to be the only trump card that would ensure a draw for the film at the turnstiles. In fact, talking to UNI in an interview recently, Verma said that for the role of 'Gabbar', he could think of nobody else but Amitabh given his amazing range as an actor.

He is among the filmmakers smitten by the magic of Amitabh, having cast him earlier in films like 'Sarkar' and 'Darna Zaroori hai'.

About Big B featuring in 'Nisshabd', he said, ''It was a complex role of an old man caught between his feelings of sexual attraction for an 18-year-old and his feelings of responsibility. I could see no one else but Amitabh do the role. In fact, his performance in the film has been simply amazing.'' Verma said that in today's times, Amitabh is the only actor who is indispensable to a film, a fact that has been endorsed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has stated that 'Black' would not have been possible without Amitabh.

Besides his unflagging popularity in India, Amitabh has, in the last few years, become India's best known face abroad, a fact that is evidenced by a host of international honours coming his way over the years - from installation of his wax statue in London's Madame Tussauds, French Company Lomani naming its perfume after him, Mayor of French town Deauville handing him over the key of the town, Britain's Channel 4 naming him one of the top 100 film stars of all times, awards at the Marrakesh film festival for two successive years and so on.

For Big B it has been a long journey from his debut in Khwaja Ahmed Abbas' 'Saat Hindustani' to 'Sexy Sam' in 'Kabhi Alvida na Kehna'. However, looking at the tremendous verve displayed by the actor in the role of Sexy Sam and his palpable feeling of excitement at playing Gabbar Singh in Ramgopal Verma's 'Sholay, it seems the actor still has a long innings to go.

UNI